Tuesday October 18th and Wednesday October 19th:
And it continues with arguably the first of the two most crucial fixtures in the group stages. This is when some groups start to develop some definite shape while some teams start to worry. Matchday Three is all about separating the men from the boys and whittle down the 32 teams to an elite sixteen, followed by a commendable eight. This is where it starts to get serious.
The 2011-12 UEFA Champions League rolls on. Watch all the highlights here.
We continue to recap the action by breaking down the results by type, style and function.
The Expected
Real Madrid 4-0 Lyon:
Once their bogey team, successive thrashings over the past few seasons has made it clear to the Lyonnais just who their daddy is. Real's form has gotten better with every match and their latest hammering was swift, rampant and vicious. Lyon will still get through, but now lack both the ability or edge to repeat what used to be one of Europe's most common yet welcomed upsets.
Barcelona 2-0 Plzen:
Clearly the current Champions of Europe had other things on their mind and thought plenty of it in the 72 minutes between Lionel Messi's opener and David Villa's closer. Plzen will be relieved that they limited the damage to just a pair while Europe will be disappointed at the lack of fireworks at the Nou Camp.
Milan 2-0 BATE:
While their Group H rivals were ensuring a smooth home win over their Czech opponents eased them into top spot, Milan did much the same to wheel into second spot at the San Siro. You'd think both teams would want to notch up a landslide to help the goal difference, but you'd be mistaken.
The Pleasantly Surprising
Dinamo Zagreb 0-2 Ajax:
It's not that Ajax are a bad team of whom such away wins are not expected, it that's Dinamo are a rather good one who are now more than a match for their Dutch opponents. In many ways this was a junior match featuring the standout talent from two of Europe's finest technical academies.
Olympiakos 3-1 Dortmund:
It's not just the Greek Champions upset the German ones, or that it was by some comfort, or even that Dortmund were so poor. But that, of the four teams in this close and supposedly challenging group, the two domestic champions are the ones who will miss out on going through.
Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Valencia:
A second win on the trot and against one of the group favourites, Bayer's win proved that German football is still deep and threatening. Valencia on the other hand have their work cut out for them with a four point gap to chase and a first win to get. While Robin Dutta's troops are in pole position to grab second, they have two away games still to come.
The Heartening Morale Boost
Marseille 0-1 Arsenal:
Amidst a shocking start to the season that threatens to unravel the very fabric of the club while undermining all of manager Arsene Wenger's hard work over the years, it appears his troops are finally learning the continental way of results over performance, returns over style. Tepid and tentative at home, Arsenal are bullish and determined on the continent, in often stark contrast to previous vintages.
Lille 0-1 Inter:
While a nightmare campaign is lurching from embarrassment to misery on the domestic front, the welcome midweek outings in Europe have been a necessary tonic to life the spirits at Inter. Another win, another result to soothe the wounds of late, Inter's predicament and position mirror their rivals from North London in so many ways.
The Typical
Galati 0-2 Manchester United:
Other than Nemanja Vidic's dismissal for a mistimed, yet typically manic challenge, the only points of note were the twin boosts to Wayne Rooney's confidence and ego from the penalty spot. Clearly, the two 12 yard runs to strike a motionless ball past a hapless goalkeeper was what manager Alex Ferguson started him on the bench at Anfield for. Put money on Rooney to score against City now.
The Thrilling
Shakhtar 2-2 Zenit:
Now this is what I'm taking about. A match that show what European Club football sees to showcase. UEFA, please broadcast this game all around the world to show that despite the selfish moronic posturing of the western European giants, football is alive and well in the East. A goal every minutes as the 2008 UEFA Cup winners visited their 2009 successors.
The Nothing-To-Get-Excited-About
Chelsea 5-0 Genk:
While Torres double does suggest a return to the potent ferocity that once made him Europe's most feared league striker, Chelsea's latest hammering, at home, of either a European middleweights or a tournament minnow, does nothing more than encourage a large yawn. And judging by the empty seats at Stamford Bridge, the Blues faithful concur.
The Moribund
Basel 0-2 Benfica:
The sooner that games like this are weaned out of the autumnal carnival that is the Champions League, the better it is. While Basel thrilled during its time on Old Trafford, it disappointed at home, held at bay and rendered mute by a canny, experienced Portuguese giant.
The Continental Flavoured
CSKA 2-0 Trabzonspor:
Like previously pointed out, this match is what continental football is all about, pity that Trabzonspor got in at the last moment while CSKA had to scrap their way there. Although the Russian Premier League is almost a full season older than its Turkcell counterpart, the gap in quality between 2nd in Russia and 4th in Turkey was a smidgen, at times.
The Plucky
Porto 1-1 Apoel:
Don't look now but the Cypriot Champions are now both unbeaten and atop their group, ahead of three of the most recent winners of the UEFA Europa League. A tournament which, despite being a step down from this one, would be considered a reach for these Cypriot minnows.
The Lucky
Napoli 1-1 Bayern:
Despite their excellent season that promises so much, Napoli were anaemic while being completely dominated by their German hosts. Toni Kroos' opener suggested a dismantling that would have bordered on a lesson. But for Holger Badstuber's fortuitous own goal concession, it would have been.
The 'Coming of Age'
Manchester City 2-1 Villarreal:
Manchester City's first victory suggests that though their current campaign, a virgin excursion into Europe's top tournament, is set to end in tears, their subsequent forays may well yield a sweeter result. And their rival should beware, this team is learning well and learning quick and if not this season, will surely go deep in the coming years.
Things I'd like to mention:
- The Stamford Bridge Spread is well under way. Chelsea's eight goals have come from seven different players. No other team has so many different scorers.
- Predicting an Ivorian to lead the scoring charts at this stage would have won you few admirers, but declaring it to be someone other than Didier Drogba would have been a a gutsy move. Having said that, feel free to claim Ivorian CSKA Moscow striker Seydou Doumbia's lead atop the scoring chart as the latest example of your clairvoyance.
- Of the top five goal scorers only one belongs to a favourite. While strength in depth is the preserve of champions, the timing of their delivery is often the sharpest arrow in their quiver.
- Ten of the 32 teams are still unbeaten. Now while that list contains the usual suspects of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Milan, Arsenal, et al, it also lists tiny Apoel Tel Aviv, arguably the poorest team in finances, but certainly not in spirit.
- Of the 23 top scorers, who have scored two or more goals this far in the group stage, 18 different teams are represented with Bayern, Barcelona, Manchester United, and rather more surprisingly Basel, the only ones with more than one player with two goals each. The same 23 players comprise 15 different nations with Spain having three such representatives. In a unique symmetry both English representatives on this list play for Manchester United, both German players turning out for Bayern, and intriguingly, Basel supplying both the Swiss stars. Rather less surprisingly, the five Brazilians on said list play for five different teams. Variety is indeed the spice of life.
- Genk and Dinamo Zagreb are yet to score this season and have been held to a clean sheet in all three games. By contrast, Chelsea and Real Madrid have knocked in eight goals while Barcelona have hit nine.
- The top three surprises have been, in order Apoel, Basel and Ajax. Meanwhile, Dortmund, Lille and Villarreal have been the biggest disappointments.
- When Alex Ferguson first led out Manchester United in the 1993-94 Champions League, Arsene Wenger was in Japan and Andres Villas Boas was in middle school. Didier Deschamps was a player at Marseille, fresh off being stripped of the 1993 European Cup final win over Milan. Pep Guardiola was lining up for Barcelona and Jose Mourinho was a translater. Max Allegri and 12 other current coaches were still playing for their respective league teams. Longevity is the basic beam on which stability is based.
- Real Madrid are the only team with a 100% record with three wins out of three while also being the only team that is yet to concede. Arguably, it is the white shirts from Madrid, not the redshirts from either Manchester or Bavaria, who are Barcelona's biggest threat this season.
- Despite having teams in the tournament, Belgium, Ukraine, Cyprus, Turkey and Greece have not had any players getting on the score sheet so far. Both the Czech Republic and Belarus have one scorer each. No prizes for guessing which teams they play for.
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